Hydrometer float



HYDROMETER FLOAT Filed Jan. 6, 19150 UIT* I s a www n T N m .m wy n [MMM WA Wm Patented Nov. 14, 1933 HYDROMETER FLOA'r y Howard'E. Christie and Kibbey Couse, Bronx, N. Y. l

Application vJanuary 6, 1930. f Serial No.418,'l35Y l 2 Claims. 31.-V 265-45) Y This invention relates to hydrometer floats,V and an object of the inventionis to provide a oat made wholly of metal and which is hollow.

A further object is to so construct the walls of said float that they will be of great toughness and strength.

' A further object is to so construct the device nr' and) that in use it will automatically compensate for changes in temperature.

A further object is to provide a metallic hydrometer float havinDr scale indications made up as permanent parts thereof. v Y 'l A further object is to provide novel vmeans by which Ato alterjthe weight ofthe float.

vA further'object is to provides. float of high efrciency and which may be handled without likelihood of breakage.

A further object is to providea float of such construction that it may be manufactured in large quantities and in a manner which will insure that all such floats will have a high degree ofuniforrnity one with respect tothe other.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more4 or less speci'c than Ythose referred toabove, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which is to beY Y taken as a part of this specification, and in which we have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the inventionz-Y Y Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hydrometer oat constructed in accordance with this invention, a part being broken away and sho-wn in vertical section for the disclosure of 'details of construction. j Fig. 2A is an yenlarged horizontal sectional View taken upon the plane of line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to the lower portion of- Fig. 1 but being enlarged and the weight element being omitted, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating a modification o f the wall structure.

The float illustrated in the drawing is of the form and construction such as is produced by the method described and claimed in our co-pending applicationSerial No. 418,753, and it consists of a bulbular portion L, a stem portion G, and a lower or weight portion H Within which is carried the weight element 1. l

The entire structure, excepting the weightl, is preferably formed as an integral shell of metal the float may be submerged in use.

produced by depositing as by electro-plating over a molded core piece asset forth in said application referred to. Its walls throughoutv are of almost paper thinness vyet they may consist of A two distinct thicknesses of metal as illustrated in Figs'. 2 and 3 there being an outer thickness as 2 of one metal, such as copper, and an inner thickness of a differentl metal such as tin o'r some composition thereof, the two thicknesses being intimately Vconnected together and constituting in o eiiect a single gpiece or sheet of metal the whole being seamless. l o Y While it would be sufficient for most purposes vto employ only a singlethickness of metal'for these walls, it has been found that the double thickness of wall structure is tougher and more enicient Iforfits purpose and that it may be readily producedras by the method defined'in said copending application. 3 Y Y Y The bulbularf'portion L may take any desired forrnbut preferably vis of triangular shape in crosssectionas bestY indicated in Fig. 2 as this form presentsthree' broad flat wall sections as Band 6 which constitute eilicient diaphragm-- like parts capable ofilexing eitherl inwardly or outwardlyto a desirable extent for changing the' outside dimensions, andhence the displacement, of thebulbularlportion i-n response'to changes in the tempera-ture of ythe liquid'within which The interior of theoat is` of coursersealed and hence the air or 'other fluid confined therein will expand orV contract in the' presence ofk temperature changes, and the'diaphragm-lilze walls 4, 5, and 6.are

rsuiiiciently sensitive to respond readily to allV pressure changes. KAl'f the surrounding liquid is relatively colduthe confined air will'be contracted and the walls 4, f'and' will bulge inwardly so thatrthe displacement'will be reducedA and the floatv will stand at a relatively lower level than it would if the iwalls' 4. `5 and 6 were non-ilexibla whereas'if the surrounding liquid'bewarmer the conned air will be correspondingly heated and expanded so that the walls 4, 5 and 6 will bulge outwardly thus increasing the displacement and causing the float to stand at a relatively higher level than it would if the walls 4, 5 and 6 were nonflexible. v

In this way the flexing of thewalls 4, 5 and 6 will cause the float to stand at a given level in its supporting medium notwithstanding changesin the temperature of said medium, as will be readily understood.

It may be mentioned here that the two different layers of metal of which. the walls 4, 5 and 6 are composed may if desired consist of such metals respectively that one layer will expand to a greater or less extent than the other under a given change of temperature and thus produce a sort of mechanical flexing of said walls irrespective of changes in pressure of the confined air, or if desired this mechanical flexing may be relied upon as an auxiliary to the air pressure.

As illustrated in Fig. 4 the Walls 4, 5 and 6 may if desired be re-inforced by the addition of an extra thickness or layer as 7 of metal, such for instance as nickel or some combination thereof calculated to further toughen said walls so as to give them requisite strength and at the same time adapt them for their flexing movement as above described.

The stem portion G of the float may be provided with scale indications thereon in any approved manner but it is a feature of this invention to form said scale indications as a permanent part of the stem, preferably by forming them as surface depressions as 8 in the material of the stem, said depressions to be filled, if desired, with enamel, or other coloring material so that they will be prominently visible Vat all times.

It is a further feature of this invention to make the stern G of two distinct sections, a relatively lower section as 9 and a relatively higher section as l0, the latter being of relatively smaller diameter than the former so that a pronounced shoulder as l1 is defined between them. Each section carries its own individual scale indications, yas clearly illustrated, and the purpose of this arrangement is to enable the use of a given hydrometer float in connection with more than a single kind of supporting fluid. For instance, the section 9 may be used for testing iiuids containing what is commercially known as Prestone, while the section 10 may be used 'in the testing of simple water or alcohol mixtures.

The section 9 being relatively larger than the section l0 not only provides a denite and easily recognizable distinction as between itself and the smaller section l0, but it also increases the dis- ;placernent of the portion of the float which is submerged during the use of section 10.

The weight portion H projects a short distance below the bottom of the bulbular portion and at its lower end carries a reduced extension 12 within which a portion of the weight 1 is contained, said weight continuing upwardly more or less above the extension 12v as may be vrequired but in any eventv being preferably carried atV a suitable distance below the bulbular portion L so as to produce a proper balancing effect upon the entire float.

The purpose of the extensionv 12 is to provide a suitable portion of substantially solid structure consisting of Weight material and surroundingV shell wallsv adapted to be cut or ground off more or less as may be found necessary to alter or adjust the weight of the whole float and thus cause the float to stand at a given predetermined level in its supporting medium. lThe dotted line 13 suggests a plane at which said extension and weight material may be cut olf if desired for this purpose, though it will be understood of course that this plane may be higher or lower according as may be found necessary by experiment with each individual float manufactured.

It is a further feature of this invention to make the weight 1 of metal introduced in molten form and then allowed to cool, the molten metal having adhered to the shell as a substantially integral part of the inner layer 3 of metal comprising the shell.

This metal may be introduced through a lower opening as 14 provided in the shell, as by suction through an upper opening as 15, as more fully explained in said co-pending application, the opening 15 being subsequently sealed by cement or solder, and the metal of the Weight l serving to seal the opening 14. Y

Itis noteworthy that the triangular shape of the bulbular portion not only provides wall expanses adapted for flexing as above mentioned but it also provides the so-called knife edge portions for engagement with the walls of a container within which the float may be used said edges being of such form as to not adhere to said walls, the result being that the oat will at all times move freely within the container.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as dened in the following claims, it is intended that all' matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A liydronieter iioat having a bulbular portion and a stem portion, the bulbular portion having a weight at its lower end, the whole comprising a hollow metallic structure, thestem portion of said structure having cylindrical parts of different diameters providing Ya shoulder exteriorly of said stem portion to separate the parts thereof of different diameters, and separate scale indications provided upon said parts.

2. A hydrometer float having a bulbular portion and a stem portion, the bulbular portion having a weight at its lower end, the whole comprising a hollow metallic structure the walls of which throughout include a relatively inner layer of tin and a relatively outer layer of copper, and a wall of the bulbular portion including a layer of nickel intermediate said inner and outer layers, said layers throughout being substantially integrally connected together.

HOWARD E. CI-IRJISTJE` KIBBEY W. COUSE. 

